Name game

Many government projects in Bhopal carry the name of Raja Bhoj, a 11th -century king. But is he really connected to Bhopal?

- SRAVANI SARKAR

Those flying into Bhopal, and driving into the city via VIP Road, cannot miss Raja Bhoj’s name. From Raja Bhoj International Airport, they would drive past a 32ft-statue of the king installed in the Upper Lake (once proposed to be called Bhojtaal) and cross the Raja Bhoj Setu (a suspension bridge). Not long ago, it was proposed that VIP Road be renamed Raja Bhoj Marg.

That’s not all. There is an impressive mural of the king at the Bhopal railway station. Let us not forget the Madhya Pradesh Bhoj Open University. Simply put, Bhoj, a 11th century king of Malwa region—that encompassed modern-day Bhopal—is now all over the capital city.

In September, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, while laying the foundation stone for the metro rail project, announced that it will also be named after Bhoj. Incidentally, Arif Masood—Congress MLA from Bhopal Central—objected to it during the ceremony itself. “Please, let it be called Bhopal Metro. There is already a lot named after Raja Bhoj,” he said.

Masood’s view is shared by a large section of Bhopalis and historians. Many historians say that Bhoj could not have founded Bhopal. They say the city became prominent only after 1720, when Dost Mohammad Khan, a Mughal general who claimed the title Nawab, constructed the Fatehgarh Fort and made it his capital.

“This place was merely a cluster of 40 to 50 hutments of the Gond tribe, and was named after a Gond ruler, Bhupal Shah, who ruled around 650CE,” says author Shyam Munshi. “If Bhoj had founded Bhopal, there should have been some remains as evidence of his kingdom here. Why are there no remains in Bhopal?”